


Healing Hearts

by ThatScottishShipper



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Amputee Shiro (Voltron), Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Body Worship, Canon Universe, Dog Tags, Episode: s07e06 The Journey Within, Fade to Black, First Kiss, Gift Exchange, Guilt, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining Shiro (Voltron), Sheithlentines 2020, Shiro (Voltron) Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-29
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:15:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22962265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatScottishShipper/pseuds/ThatScottishShipper
Summary: After the Paladins return from being lost in space, Shiro learns his feelings for Keith are not entirely one sided.After the fear of losing Shiro forever, Keith decides to put his own heart out in the open.Set during S7, “The Journey Within.”*Written for Sheithlentines 2020.*
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 49
Collections: Sheithlentines 2020





	Healing Hearts

**Author's Note:**

  * For [perfectlyrose](https://archiveofourown.org/users/perfectlyrose/gifts).



When Shiro had awakened from whatever happened to him, he had panicked, finding himself alone in the cockpit of the Green Lion. His first thought was where Pidge had disappeared to, then his fears expanded to the others when no one responded to the monitor calls.

_ ‘Lance? Hunk? Allura? _

_...Keith?’ _

When the door opened, his heart lifted at the sight of Pidge, who threw her arms around the older man, murmuring about how much she missed him, and she thought she’d never see him again.

Shiro returned the hug, telling her not to worry, then he caught sight of someone by the door.

It was Keith, clutching the rim of the doorway, staring at Shiro. Dark rings beneath troubled dark eyes greeted him, the expression of someone that had been to hell and back.

_ ‘Like I had,’ _ Shiro thought, still seeing endless fields of stars in his wake. “Keith, are you…?”

Suddenly, Keith’s hands clasped his shoulders, and everything stopped, nothing mattering except those troubled eyes boring into his. It was a strange experience, being on the receiving end of a comforting gesture that Shiro often placed on him.

“Shiro, are you  _ alright? _ ” Keith’s desperate cry pierced Shiro’s heart.

Eventually, Shiro found his voice, unable to shy away from that frightened stare. “...Yes. Of course I am.” When Keith’s touch relaxed, he asked further. “Are  _ you _ okay?”

Slowly, Keith’s weary eyes drifted to the floor, then closed, as he let out a sigh. His answer was curt. “...Yeah.”

Shiro wanted nothing more than for Keith to pour his heart out, to explain what happened. But he knew there was nothing more he could do until Keith himself decided to talk.

That haunted gaze still troubled Shiro.

xxx

As Keith got to the controls to the Black Lion, everything came out.

They had been literally lost in space, chained together, and unable to call for help. The other Paladins excitedly cried out for Shiro on the monitors, pleased to see him, but Keith stayed silent, head bowed.

Shiro wanted to hold him in his arms, to console him, but a dark voice inside his head forbade him.

_ ‘Don’t do it.’ _

His fist retreated back to his side, trembling.

Once everyone agreed to turn in after their ordeal, one by one, the coloured monitors switched off. Leaving only Shiro and Keith basking in the purple thrum of the Black Lion’s light.

“So… why don’t you head off to bed too, Keith?” Shiro suggested, his hand resting on the back of the pilot’s chair. “I can keep a lookout, and call you if things get hairy.”

Reluctant to leave, Keith bit his lip. Shiro could tell something played on his mind, but before he could ask, Keith got to his feet, that curious gaze never leaving Shiro.

“Okay, but only if you do too.”

Shiro blinked. “Huh?”

Keith bowed his head. “Don’t make me say it again, Shiro.”

Shiro’s cheeks flushed. He was only asking for company after being out there so long. It was like the old days, with one of them seeking the other out after a frightening nightmare.

He nodded, following Keith out the cockpit into the hold.

xxx

Shiro swore the beds were not that small before.

The beds aboard the Castle of Lions were one thing, but these beds were only built for one Paladin.

His cheeks grew heated. “You know, I’m more than happy to… camp out in the cockpit, Keith. It’s a small bed, and I’m… not.”

Keith’s face fell. “You don’t… want to?”

Shiro panicked, realising what he’d done. “I didn’t mean that, Keith. What I meant was-”

Suddenly, Black Lion veered to the side, causing Shiro to crash into Keith. Thankfully, the bed broke their fall, with Shiro’s taller frame falling onto Keith, propped by his hands on the mattress below.

Shiro flustered, realising how close they were. “I’m sorry, Keith, I…”

“Hey, what’re you apologising for?” Keith’s lips felt dry, too dry.

Something inside Shiro darkened.

Inside his head, a thousand butterflies fluttered, cluttering his mind. There was no chance that Keith wanted to share a  _ bed _ with him? Not after he wounded him?

Shiro gulped, expecting Keith to push him away, or something. What he didn’t expect was for Keith to throw a suggestion his way, a glance at the bed below them.

“Wanna turn in?”

Scrambling back onto his feet, Shiro the Hero managed a small, shakey “...okay.”

xxx

Their backs to one another, Shiro and Keith slowly undressed.

Shiro’s heart pounded with every sound of Paladin armour falling to the floor. The softest thumps sent him into a mess.

Which was ridiculous, Shiro reminded himself, preposterous even. Nothing of the sort was about to happen other than completely platonic, beneficial sleep.

But he still remembered their fall, those close lips.

By the time Shiro was down to a tank vest and bed leggings, the urge to run out the room screaming skyrocketed. Every instinct compelled him to flee, for his sake, for Keith’s sake.

_ ‘What if I’m still not myself?’ _ His damp hands anxiously checked where his missing arm had once been, his now starlight white hair.  _ ‘What if I’m still him? What if…?’ _

A soft hand took his, encouraging him to turn around. When he did, Shiro saw Keith’s welcoming eyes inviting him to bed. He was dressed down into the assigned red sleeping garments from their time in the Castle.

“Come on, Shiro,” Keith whispered, tugging towards the single bed. “It’s about time you rested for once.”

Once Keith settled beneath the sheets, Shiro felt his heart stop.

Those slender knees brushed so faintly against his, shooting a burst of heat through him. Keith’s comforting sigh spread against his neck.

“Shiro…”

Keith was close.

He was so close.

Shiro realised it was the first time the two of them had been alone since… when? He flinched, reminded of the painful fact he had been apart from the Paladins longer than he cared to admit.

Especially Keith, watching him mourn for his disappearance, become attached to a Shiro like him…

Hurt him.

“Shiro, talk to me…” Keith’s soft voice reached out to him, and Shiro knew his restraint was failing.

In the faint glow of the night, Shiro became lost in Keith’s haunting eyes. His hand touched Keith’s cheek, a violet burst of light causing his head to ache. “I hurt you.”

Keith placed his hand over Shiro’s. “It’s okay. I don’t blame you… or him.”

Shiro gasped, his hand stilling. Keith’s words resonated with the most powerful energy, as if infused by the Quintessence surrounding him in the Lion. 

“Keith,” Shiro whispered, finding himself lost in those troubled eyes. “I wouldn't blame you. If you wanted to never-”

“I realised something.” Keith’s words interrupted him, bringing everything to an unsettling quiet. “When I was out there, drifting in space with no end in sight, I was… alone. Sure, I had the others, but I felt so lonely, I might as well have been by myself.”

Shiro’s heart ached, listening to Keith’s story, reminded of his imprisonment in the Quintessence of the Black Lion. Going crazy, trying to stay sane no matter what.

Keith’s quiet voice broke Shiro’s thoughts, bringing him back to reality. “But what hurt the most was… that I might never have seen you again…”

Shiro wrapped his arms around Keith, holding him close. Despite his initial fears that Keith might pull away, that this was going too far, the other man leaned back.

Everything about it was so intimate that Shiro couldn’t help but think to himself -  _ ‘I don’t deserve this, Keith deserves better.’ _

But his thoughts were disrupted by Keith muttering “damn it,” latching onto Shiro’s dog tags and tugging him in. Their lips met in a clumsy exchange, but the reaction was instant.

Keith moaned against those perfect lips, never letting his grip around the metal chain loosen.

Shiro returned the kiss, shocked by this moment he always dreamed of. He submitted to the love of the man he nearly lost time and time again only to remember that life was too short to waste frittering away the possibilities. Keith too shared that sentiment.

What was real fear? Being lost in space with the possibility of never seeing Shiro again, of telling him how he felt.

Before Shiro knew it, he was on his back, with Keith straddling him, gazing down with tenderness. Shiro did not tense, nor flinch, at the close physical contact, or the hovering shadow above him that once gave him nightmares.

Because he trusted Keith deeply.

But he did not trust himself, nor the darker thoughts running rampant inside his head.

_ ‘I don’t deserve this. _

_ I hurt him. _

_ I’m…’ _

Once he felt a gentle hand slowly sliding up his shirt, Shiro froze, even if the hateful thoughts did not. His body, scarred from past battles and survival, laid bare, along with a missing arm.

Then Shiro realised Keith had stopped, and he feared his suspicions were confirmed. Keith disliked what he saw. He was regretting this.

“I’m sorry…”  
  


Shiro’s blood ran cold, but he forced himself to talk. “Keith, it’s alright. You don’t have to-”

“I hurt you too.” The Paladin’s heartbroken gaze lingered past Shiro’s shoulder where his prosthetic arm once was. A slash of violent purple flashed before his eyes, the man he loved collapsing to the ground, disarmed by Keith himself.

He blinked away tears, reminded of how close he came to losing Shiro at his own hands.

As tears trickled down his cheeks, Keith felt something soft brush against his face. He raised his head, awed by the sight of Shiro wiping away his tears with love in his eyes.

“Keith, please,” Shiro hushed, sitting up to cradle the other man. “You have nothing to apologise for.”

Once their lips met, memories of that dark time faded, lost beneath the gentle purple light of the Black Lion, and in each other’s arms. Eventually, Shiro fell back, bringing Keith with him.

In the height of a heated kiss, Keith slowly fanned his fingers out beneath Shiro’s clothing, causing the man below to tense. Keith caught on, and he gently massaged Shiro’s stomach.

“Shiro,” Keith said softly, letting his hands run across Shiro’s scarred chest. “You’re beautiful.”

Before Shiro could control himself, tears pricked at his eyes. Love swelled inside his chest, overflowing until the violet lighting became softer, and Keith’s eyes twinkled in the darkness.

Keith’s hands trailed along the shooting scars across his chest, murmuring sweetly, “you deserve to be loved.”

Then he began to shower Shiro’s body with tender kisses all over, determined to show him how beautiful and loved he was. His soft lips cherished Shiro’s stomach, then trailed to his exposed chest, following the trail of scars.

A sharp gasp caught in Shiro’s throat.

Keith’s lips settled against Shiro’s shoulder, close to the slowly healing mound of the man’s amputated arm. The Paladin then rested his face against Shiro’s shoulder, gazing up at the other man tenderly.

No words were needed. In the cosy sanctuary of the Black Lion, Keith’s emotions resonated strongly, and Shiro  _ felt _ them. He felt Keith’s affection for him, a red suffusion of red energy blending with the atmosphere of the Lion, the Quintessence of their love.

Shiro, for the first time in a long time, felt loved for who he was.

He sobbed, humbled beneath Keith’s loving gaze and his worshipping touch. “I love you, Keith.”

Arching into the warm touch, Keith whispered with heartfound adoration. “I love you too, Shiro. I’ve wanted to tell you for so long.”

Shiro smiled, the gentle light caressing his face. “Then what’re we waiting for, Keith?”

Leaning in, Keith snatched Shiro’s lips with a pleased moan, knocking the other man onto his back and continuing where they left off.

After all, they had little time before returning home.

Beneath the cosmic nebula, drifting home, Shiro and Keith cradled each other, surrendering to their long suppressed feelings. Captured in the clouds of space dust, stars were born anew, burning brighter together in wondrous shades of red and purple.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for perfectlyrose as part of the Sheithlentines 2020 Exchange. 
> 
> Prompts included mutual pining (wrote from pining Shiro’s perspective,) love confessions, some juicy hurt/comfort, and bed sharing. While it does fade to black, I did include praise kink and body worship because those are my jam. And dog tags. Huzzah. ❤️
> 
> This did delve into more angsty territory when I chose to set it during “The Journey Within.” Keith would be in a vulnerable place after being lost in space, apart from Shiro where he might never see him again, and Shiro still recovering from the memories he gained from Kuron and what happened to Keith at “his” hands.
> 
> It is also a healing piece of the two actually talking about what happened on the Space station and carrying the guilt they experienced at harming someone they loved.
> 
> Posted on Shiro’s Birthday, so happy birthday. 🖤
> 
> Thank you very much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it. 🖤❤️


End file.
